Hydraulic or vacuum clutch



Sept. 4, 192s. 1,683,054

L. J. ROOT HYDRAULIC OR VACUUM CLUTCH /A/VE/V TOR Lemma C/Hoof www Patented Sept. 4, 1928.V

UNITED STATES P'A'rizNTI oFF-ICE.

LEMM J'. ROOT, 0F SEATTLE, WASHINGTON.

I HYDRAULIC OR VACUUM CLUTCH.

Application file-d September 26, 1923. Serial No. 664,982. v

relative speed of the two elements can be regulated. p

The invention is an improvement over my prior patents having the Serial Nos. 344,231

and 351,972, filed December 11, 1919 and J anuary 1G, 1920, and allowed April 3, 1923 and August 29, 1921 respectively. The patent with the Serial No. 351,972was. abandoned and the patent with the Serial No. 344,231 was issued Oct. 23, 1923 with the No.

The improvements are in the position of the supply and Compression chambers, the

arrangement of the valves, the general arrangement which makes it -possible to obtain a perfectly balanced wheel,"and the additlon 5 ventor. u u

The object of the invention is'to providel a of compression and vacuum relief valves.

These improvements are necessary for the reason that the drawings in said patent fail to show the real and full intent of theinmechanism wherein the clutching action or holding power may be increased 0r decreased to retard or accelerate the rotation of a shaft 0 or other rotating elements between the maximum full speed and the minimum or to eiiect a complete stop.

Another object of the invention is to provide a) device to effect the transmission of power between a driveand a driven shaft motion and under full load.

A further object of theinvention is to provide a device to effect a -clutching action without coincident shock as in devices used at present. l

And a further object of the invention is to provide a device in which frictional wear has been reduced to a minimum,

And a still further object of the'invention is to provide a device in whichnthe rotary motion causes the valves to have a tendency to seat without the use of springs.

With these and otherl ends in view the invention embodies a casing having a plurality of pumps, an eccentric in the center for operating the pumps, supplyand compression chambers with -suitable'valves connecting them to the pump cylinders, and suitable ,regulating valves between the supply and compression chambers .through which the holding power cf the device may ikbe regulated.

Other features and advantages of the invention will be seen from the following descriptionv taken in connection with the drawings, wherein Figure 1 is a sectional view through the center ofJ the device. v

Figure 2 is a side view with parts omitted showing the method of connecting the compression` chambers around the pistons.

Figure 3 is a longitudinal section.

Figure 4 is a view showing the spider for holding the valves in the chambers.

I'n the drawings I have sho-wn my device as i t could be constructed wherein numeral 1 indicates'the pumps, numeral 2 the supply chamber, and numeral 3 the compression chamber which extends all the wayaround the clutch.

T he pumps 1 are formed with cylinders 4 projecting from a drum shaped casing 5 which may have a hub 6 on one side that is lieyed to a drive shaft 7 by a key 8 as shown nin Flgure 3. A plate 9 may-be held to the opposite side by screws 10 and this plate may be provided with a hub 11 in which a sleeve 12 may be screwed to form a stuffing box 'that may be held by a set screw. Another shaft 13 is rotatably mounted in an opening 14in the end of the drive shaft 7 as shown in Figure 3, and this Ishaft may have an eccentric 15 keyed t0 it by keys 16.

Sliding rings 17 may be placed around .the eccentric-15 and these ringsmay be provided with projections 18 which form piston rods and are pivotally attached to the pistons 19 by the pins 20. In operation it will be seen that .as the casing is rotated with the eccentric held, or the eccentric rotated with the casing held, the pistons 19 will move in and I out of the cylinders 4 thus forming pumps.

The `supply or circulating chamber 2 is formed on the, interior vof the casing 5 and connected through passages 1` to the outer ends ofthe cylinders 4. These passages' are provided with enlarged portions 22 in which spiders 23 may be placed to hold valves 24 which rest upon the seats 25 when in the closed position or when the pistons 19 are moving outward. It will be seen that as soon as the pistons startl inward the valves 24 will move away from their seats 25 so that a substance may pass from the supply chamber to the cylinders.

The compression chamber 3 isformed by passages 26 connecting the outer ends of the cylinders and having enlarged portions 27 with valves 28 in them similar to the valves hereinbefore described for the supply chamber. These valves operate in a similar manner to those in the supply chamber and in the same` circumferential direction, but open das the pistons move outward and close as they move inward. It will be observed that the valves 24 and` 28 rest freely in the spiders 23 and are seated Without springs to hold them against the seats and as the casing rotates in one direction, they would` be thrown away from the seats and as it rotatesin the opposite direction they would be forced againstthe seats. The compression chamber is connected by passages 29 to -the supply chamber '2 and vthese passages are providedl with sliding valves 30 which are connected to a sliding collar 31 so that as the collar is moved backward and forward by any suitable means the valves may be opened or closed or the openingsN in them c' setto any desired size. The valves 30 areformed bycylindri'cal shaped casings 32 having openings 33 in them which correspond with openings 34 and 35 through a cylinder 36 formed in the exterior of the casing 5.

The interior of the valve is always open tov .the compression chamber 3 so that the pressure will be equalized which will make it possible to move the valve at all times. When air or anygaseous substance is used in the device, inlet and outlet valves as indicated by the numerals 37 and 38, may be placed7 in the casing 5,.one of which will admit air to the chamber 2 when the vacuumV in the chamber rea-ches a predetermined pressure and the other of which 'will permit air or gas to escape when the'pressure of the air or gas in thev chamber reaches a predetermined pressure. These valves are not utilized when a liquid medium is used as the clutch fluid. i

A ring 39 maybe placed around the outside and connected to the ends of the cylinders to form a cover. and also so that the device may be used las a iy wheel. The outer eds of the cylinders 4 vmay b e. provided with plugs 40 so that the cylinders may readily be machined.

It willbe understood that changesv may be made in the construction without departing from -the spirit of Lthe invention.

The construction will -be readily understood from the foregoing description, 'Lo use the device it vmay be installed as a clutch or shaft connection as shown in Figure 3, asa lbrake by attaching the casing to the car frame and the eccentric to the propeller shaft, or can also be used asl a wheel brake,

or it may be attached to any suitable device in which it is desired to retard nr check a revolving motion. It will be seen that if the shaft 7 were rotated with the valves 30 open and the shaft 13 held stationary the oil that may be used in the clutcliwill be free to pass from one chamber to another 70 l and the casing may rotate freely.- However,

if the valves 30 were partly closed by moving the collar 31 the pistons will pump the substance into the compression chamber* faster thanjt can move back into the supply chamber so that the motion will be retarded and therefore the shaft 13 will rotate slowly. As the valves 30 are completely closed it will be impossible to continue to pump the substance into the compression chamber, and

therefore, the istons will be locked and the dv'ce -will ho d rigidly so that the shaft 13 wil *rotate with the shaft 7. It will be seen that any degree of holding power may be attained by regulating the valves 30. It will also be seen that a clutching action will be obtained which may be increased or decreased to accelerate or retard the rotation of the shaft or the like between the maximum full speed or a complete stop. furthermore, it will be seen that'this holding power mayjbe applied without any possibility of jerky movements or .shocks and as there are no linings or springs the wearing `parts are practically eliminated. As the dei vice is perfectly balanced by the centrifugal motion throwing the 'substance against the outer wall ofthe compression chamber, it will also act as a fiy wheel.

If the substance iny the supply-chamber 100 becomes exhausted a vacuum willv exist in the supply chamber, the power of which may be regulated by the relief valve and the vacuum will hold on theunder sideof the pistons and cause a retarding or holding' acy105 tion, which will have as great or; even greaterhol'ding power than that developed when compressing a substance.

Having thus fully described the invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by/IIO Letters Patent, is t 1 1. In a device of the class described, a circular casing, a drive' shaft extending into the said casing, means for lsecuring the said y k drive shaft to the said casing, a driven shaft extending into the said casing from the o posite side and abutting the'said drive sha radially extending cylinders in the said casing, pistons inthe said cylnders, an eccentric for .operating the said pistons keyed to the said driven shaft, indivldual rin on the )said eccentric for each of the sai pistons, suitable `connecting rods between the said rings and the said pistons, said eccens tric operating-.in a circularopenin in the center ofthe said circular casing, tu es connecting. the said circular opening with the i 4outer ends of the said cylinders, said tubes being formed to permit portions thereof to lie in an are described from the center of And 90 30 by the rotary motion of the said casing, other.

the said casing, valvesin the latter portions of the said tubes, another passage extending completely around the periphery of the said casing and connected to the outer ends of the said cylinders, valves in the said latter passage adjacent the said cylinders, other tubes connecting the said peripheral passage to the circular opening in the center of the.

said casing between each of the said cylinders, valves in the said latter connecting tubes operatable from the exterior of thesaid casing, and suitable relief valves extending into the said circularopeningin the center of the casing to-be used when air is used as the operating medium.

v 2. In a holding device, a circular casing, cylinders radially disposed in the said casing, pistons in the said cylinders, an eccentric in the said casing, individual operating.

means on the said eccentric to operate the said pistons, a drive ,shaft extending into the said casing and rigidly attachedto the`said casing, a driven shaft extending into the said casing abutting the said drive shaft and upon which the said eccentric is mounted, means for connecting the outerl ends of the said cylinders to a chamber in the center of the said casing, valves in the said connecting means,f`said valves being arranged to close means for connecting the outer ends of the .in the said cylinders,l an eccentric in the said casing, means for individually operat ingv the said pistons by the said eccentric, means for connecting the outer ends of the' said cylinders to a chamber at the center of the said casing, check valves in the 'said connecting means Which are normall held closed by the rotaryY motion of the said casing, a peripheral chamber connecting the `outer ends of the said cylinders, check valyes `in the said peripheral chamber also held 4closed by the rotary motion of the casing,

suitable connections between the said peripheral chamber and the said central chamber,

and valves operatable from a 'remote point in the said latter connections.

n LEMMA J. Boor. 

